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China’s battle against inflation may have damaged to the country’s manufacturing sector and the pace of global economic growth

China’s battle against inflation may have caused collateral damage to the country’s colossal manufacturing sector and, potentially, to the pace of global economic growth.

Beijing’s purchasing managers’ index for April, released yesterday, showed a sharp retreat from the March figure and defied market expectations of robust expansion. The discrepancy increased concern that the Chinese economy, so central to global demand, may be about to ease.

The Government’s economist Zhang Liqun said in a note accompanying the index: “The growth in demand slowed down, resulting in the adjustment of inventory and increasing the possibility that the growth rate of the economy